Electrical waffle iron



G. F. WELLS ELECTRICAL WAFFLE IRON Filed March 5, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 acm IN V EN TOR gear F/Ve/As )a ATTORNEYS &

WITNESS Oct; 16 1923.

G. F. WELLS ELECTRICAL WAFFLE IRON Filed March :5, 192 2 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESS I N V E N TOR 720g? 7 14/e//s.

BY v

%4' ATTORNEYS Patented ea. .16, 1923.

NITED STATES GEORGE F. WELLS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ELECTRICAL WAFFLE IRON.

Application filed March 3 1922. Serial No. 540,686.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEURGE F. \VELLs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident. of the city and county of San Francisco,

State of California, have invented a new' and useful Electrical Waffle Iron, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to domestic. cooking devices, more particularly of the portable type, a form of which is here represented as a wafile iron, although it is to be understood that my invention may be embodied in other typesof utensils.

It is an object of the present invention to provide in an electrical cooking utensil having hingedly connected parts, means simplifying the electrical connections and wiring of the device for the distribution of an electrical current to the various so-called electric heating elements that may be employed.

It is another object of the invention to provide especially an improved type of electrical connection and hinge oint 1n electrical devices where parts are hingedly connected and each of the parts is provided with an electrically energized instrument; the improved hinge joint providing for the arrangement of the wiring in a concealed and protected manner wholly within the elements of the hinge joint.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensiveand practical hinge connection joining upper and lower shellv sections of the utensil, so that the upper section may automatically lift or laterally move with respect to the complementary section during the cooking of a wafile to compensate for the expansion of a batter, while it is cooking. In thisconnection it .is an object to provide a hinge connection of light and substantial construction of stamped sheet metal. Further, an object is to provide for the limitation of the upward movement of the top section or shell by engagement of one portion of one hinge leaf with an embossed part of the other leaf.

It is an object to provide for the covering of outlet apertu es provided'in the shells and through which pass electric conductors threaded from one shell to another beneath the hinge leaves. An object is to provide for the concealing of the electric conductors by the hinge structure without perforating the movable leaf and to secure clearance of the conductors by embossed portions of the leaves.

Another object is to provide for the safe fastening of the sections to ether in such manner as to prevent the accidental disconnection of the sections, as may be caused by repeated'relative movement of the sections about the axis of the hinge.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be made manifest in the following description of the preferred form of the invention, which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood that it is not intended .to limit the invention to the embodiment shown by the said drawings and description, as variations may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

F ig: 1 is a side elevation of an embodiment of the invention in a Waffle iron.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same.

' Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the upper shell section with the associated parts.

Fig. 4 is a perspective of the detached sheet metal hinge showing the parts in scattered, but approximate relation.

Fig. 5 is a sectional .view of a portion of the lower or bottom shell section and its hinge connection.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal central section through the hinge structure taken on the planes indicated at line 66, Fig. 5.

The invention in the present instance is shown as embodied in a cooking utensil having a pair of .hingedly connected shell sections whichmay be made in any desired manner and of any desired material, each of the shell sections being substantially bowl-shaped and provided with cooking means, comprising waflle plates, which are arranged in the respective shell sections and are adapted to be brought into overlapping face to face position in the usual manner of waffle irons.

One feature of the invention resides in means for so connecting the sections together that during the cookin of a wafiie, the upper section may be bo ilv lifted in parallel relation to the lower section due to the expansion of the batter being cooked.

The sections are preferabl of duplicate construction as to their ma or details, so that they may be utilized in the device as either the top or the bottom of the shelf; each section bein provided at one side with an aperture or outlet, set back from the rim of the shell and through which electric conductors ma be threaded from section to section throug a hinge structure connecting the sections. g

More particularly in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the utensil consists of a shell-like bottom section 2, on which there may be secured or provided, in any desired manner, suitable legs 3, and these may be secured to a base 4. Complementary to the bottom shell 2 is a top or upper shell 5, and these are adapted to be assembled in a closed position or one may be lifted from the other, as, for instance, by being turned about a hinge joint connecting them.

A simple joint is shown as including hinge parts which, preferably, to secure economy of cost, are made of sheet metal stampings. The upper,,,hinge leaf is of shell-like form having a body 6 approximating a section of a cylinder and has, at its ends, laterally extending wings, which may be termed lands, 6', stamped to conform to the curvature at one side of the flange or rim of the upper section 5 to which the leaf may be secured, as by rivets or other fastenings 7 passing through the lands 6. At the ends of the body 6 of the leaf areprovided cheeks or lugs 6 at right angles to the length of the body and these have downwardly extending eye forming parts 8 perforated at 9. These parts may be termed therefore, eyes and are spaced in parallel and co-axial position, so that a fastening bolt 10, may be disposed in the eyes, as will be explained hereinafter. The lower leaf consists of a substantially cylindrical body 11 having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the aperture 9 of the eyes and has a length slightly less than the distance axially between the eyes 8 of the hinge leaf 6, so that the cylindrical body 11 of the lower hinge leaf can be arranged substantially co'axially with the eyes. Extending down from the body 11 is a wing or land forming portion 11 perforated, as at 12, to receive means for fastening it to the adjacent side of the lower section 2 of the utensil.

The sections 2 and5 to which the respective hinge leaves 611 have been secured may be assembled so as to bring the cylindrical leaf body 11 between the eyes 8 of the complementary leaf 6 and then means are applied to pivotally connect the hinge leaves, and further, the connecting means are adapted to be held against removal and dislocation by means of the bolt or equivalent bolt 10 or an equivalent fastener. The pivot formin means preferably consists of a'pair 0% pieces, which may be appropriately referred to as buttons. Each button has a cup-shaped or countersunk body 13 having an exterior diameter to permit it to be disposed in a respective aperture 9.,of an eye 8 of the hinge leaf 6; the

bottom of the button being perforated, as at 14 to receive the shank of the fastening bolt 10. Each button has at one end an outwardly extending flange 15 to bear against the outer face of the adjacent eye 8 in which it may be mounted. The flange 15 and the ring-like portion of the eye 8 may be of approximately the same exterior iameter and preferably the axis of an opening 9 of an eye is shown disposed with relation to the outer face of the contiguous end wing or leaf 6, so that by flattening one side of a flange 15, as at 15 the button will be prevented from rotation when, after the bolt 10 has been inserted so that its head will bear in the cavity of one button and its threaded end will be exposed in the cavity of the other button, the nut 10* is being screwed into place on the exposed end of the bolt. This, therefore, insures the rotation of the bolt 10 and itsnut 10 with the buttons 13, as the upper section 5 is raisedand lowe.

In order to provide for the desired free vertical bodily movement of the upper sec tion during expansion of the batter, the cylindrical body 11 of the lower hinge leaf has an internal diameter materially more than the exterior diameter of the bearingforming body portion 13 of the button which projects inwardly through its respec tive eye 8 of the upper hinge leaf 6/ The lower section 2 of the utensil being regarded as stationary, as is also its. hinge part 11.

is provided a wafile plate P having the usual waffle face design and between the shell sec tion and the waffle iron is arranged any suitable heating element E, electrically energized, as by an electric current traversing circuit conductors C passing through the aperture 5' of the upper shell and thence through-the hinge leaves and into the lower shell 2 through an aperture 2 so that the conductors may be appropriately connected to suitable terminals T.

A feature of the invention resides in the construction of the hinge members 6 and 11 providing clearance for the conductors C and also providing for the covering and? protection of the conductors and permitting unrestricted opening and closing of the to shell. Such clearance and protection is a forded by providing theupper hin leaf 6 with a suitably located outward y embossed portion 6 struck up, as shown in Fig. 5. between the ends of the cylindrical portion of the leaf. The lower leaf is embossed, as at 11? between the ends of the land portion 11*; the embossed portions 6* and 11 registering with the conductor outlets 2 and 5 of the shell sections and therefore completely covering the outlets and the conductors. The sleeve part 11 of the lower hinge may be apertured, as at ll to permit the threading of the conductors a ross the cylindrical part and around the shank of the bolt 10, thus providing for the easy threading or wiring of the attached sections 2 and 5, after they have been pivotally connected by the arrangement of the buttons 13 in the eyes 8 and in the end of the sleeve 11.

The embossment 11 of the lower hinge also has the function of serving as a stop to limit the opening movement of the upper section 5, this being accomplished as the exposed longitudinal edge 6 swings into engagement with the contiguous part of the embossment 11 From the above it will be seen thatI have provided a shell-like hinge construction of extremely inexpensive type and of the necessary rapidity and strength, the whole blending well into the general design of the utensil to make a safe, as well as attractive article The cylindrical boss of the hinge leaves roll substantially one within the other during the opening and there are no unsightly spaced lugs or sockets or gaps in the construction of the hinge apparent to view The length of the bearing area of the hinge also causes the substantial accurate reg stration of the upper shell on the lower shell, when the iron is closed, thus obviating the necessity of dowels inthe rim, which have heretofore been employed. The hinge also serves .to cover and protect the electric conductors when the iron is open, as well as when it is closed.

I claim:

1. An electrical cooking utensil having upper and lower cooking'element-carrying sections and a hinge structure connecting said sections and including a leaf member having a pair of spaced co-axial journal eyes and having lands to be secured to one of said sections, a sleeve fitting between said eyes and having a land part attachable to a section of the utensil. and means for connecting the sleeve and the leaf member.

2. An electrical cooking utensil having upper and lower cooking element-carrying sections and a hinge structure connecting said sections and including a leaf member having a pair of spaced co-axial journal eyes and having'landsto be secured to one of said sections, a sleeve fitting between said eyes and having a land part attachable to a' section of the utensil, and means for connecting the sleeve and the leaf memher; said means including pivot forming parts.

3. In a wattle iron, a pair of sections, and

a hinge connection between the sections, said connection being such that there is a substantial amount of play between the parts ot the hinge to permit the adjacent faces of the sections to be so )arated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the faces, whereby the variations in the thickness of the batter during cooking are compensated.

4. In a Waflie iron, a pair of sections, a hinge pivot carried by one of said sections and a hollow tube carried by the other and encompassing the pivot, the internal diameter of the tube being substantially larger than the external diameter of the cooperating pivot, whereby the variations in the thickness of the batter. during cooking are compensated.

5. In a waffle iron, a pair of sections, and means for pivotally connecting the sections so that they may be placed with their faces adjacent each other, comprising a hinge leaf carried by one of the sections, a pivot fastened to the leaf, a cooperating hinge leaf carried by the other section and having a tubular member with an internal diameter substantially larger than the external diameter of the cooperating pivot, whereby the variations in thickness of the batter during cooking are compensated.

6. An electric wattle utensil having upper and lower shell sections each carrying a waffle iron, the shells having wire outlets at one side, and sheet metal leaves attached to said sections and being pivotally connected, each leaf having an embossed portion overlapping said outlets for the arrangement of electric conductors, which are concealed by the hinge structure, both whenin open or closed position.

7. An electric wattle utensil having upper and lower shell sections each carrying a waffle iron, the shells having wire outlets at one side, and sheet metal leaves attached to said sections and being pivotally connected, each leaf having an embossed portion overlapping said outlets for the arrangement of electric conductors. which are concealel by the hinge structure; one of said leaves having spaced co-axial eyes, and the other having a sleeve fitting and pivoted endwise therebetween.

8. An electric waffle utensil having upper and lower shell sections each carrying a waffle iron, the shells having wire outlets at one side, and sheet metal leaves attached-to said sections and being pivotally connected, each leaf having an embossed portion overlapping said outlets for the arrangement of electric conductors, which are concealed by the hinge structure; the sleeve having an aperture to receive the conductors threaded from section to section.

9. An electric waffle utensil having shell sections, and binge leaves attached to said sections at one side and being pivotally connected, one leaf having spaced, co-axial eyes and the other having a sleeve extending from eye to eye and having an embossed part forming a clearance for electric conductors, the first named leaf having a part engageable with the embossed part, thereby limiting opening movement of the sections. 10. An electric waffle utensil having shell sections, and sheet metal hinge leaves attached to said sections at one side and being pivotally connected one leaf having spaced, co-axial eyes and the other having a sleeve extending from eye to eye and having an embossed part forming a clearance for electric conductors, the first named leaf having a part engageable with the embossed part, thereby limiting opening movement of the sections. 11. An electric Wafiie utensil having shell sections, hinge leaves attached to the sections, pivot forming buttons connecting the leaves, and a bolt passing through the meeting parts of the leaves and through said buttons.

12. An electric wafiie utensil having shell sections, hinge leaves attached to the sec tions, pivot forming buttons connecting the leaves, and a bolt passing through the meeting parts of the leaves and through said buttons; said buttons having means'for preventing their rotation independently of their mounting so as to prevent loosening of the bolt by movement of the sections.

13. An electric wafile utensil having shell sections, hinge leaves attached to the sections, pivot forming buttons connecting the leaves, a bolt passing through the meeting parts of the leaves and through said buttons, and means for preventing the bolt from working loose by movement of the sections.

14. An electric waflle utensil having shell sections, hinge leaves attached to the sections, pivot forming buttons connecting the leaves, and a bolt passing through the meeting parts of the leaves and through said buttons; said buttons having countersunk'bodies in which the bolt head and the boltnut are received. I

15. An electric waflle utensil having shell sections, hinge leaves attached to the sections, one leaf having eye-forming end lugs; the other leaf having a sleeve extending from lug to lug, and pivot forming buttons mounted in said lugs and havin bodies extending into said sleeve to form diearings therefor.

16. An electric w'afie utensil having shell sections, hinge leaves attached to the sections, one leaf having eye-torming end lugs; the other leaf having a sleeve extending from lug to lug, and pivot forming buttons mounted in saidlugs and having bodies extending into said sleeve to form bearings therefor; the sleeve loosely fitting said bodies so that bodily lateral motion is provided as between the sections.

17 An electric wafiie utensil having shell sections, hinge leaves attached to the sections, one leaf having eye-formingend lugs; the other leaf having a sleeve extending from lug to lug, pivot forming buttons mounted in said lugs and having bodies extending into said sleeve to form bearings therefor. and means for securing the buttons in place.

18. In an electric cooking utensil, a pair of sections, and means for pivotally connecting the two sections, comprising a pair of spaced lugs carried by one of the sections, means hingedly connected to the spaced lugs, and means for substantially entirely coverin u that space which is formed between t e inge lugs and between the sections, whereby electrical connections between the sections led through this space may be concealed.

19. In an electric cooking utensil, a pair of sections, a pair of spaced lugs carried by one of the sections, pivotal connections for the lugs to the other sections, a cover member extending between the lugs and carried by that section to which the lugs are connected, and another cover member carried by the other section, said cover members overlapping each other in such a way that electrical connections between the sections and led through the space between the lugs may be concealed.

20. In an electrical cooking. utensil, a pair of hingedly connected sections, cover members carried by the sections near the place where they are hinged, and an electrical connection between the sections located near this place,-said cover members overlapping so that they serve to conceal the electrica connection.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

GEURGE F. WELLS- 

